The featherweight prospect, who was featured this past weekend in an emotional “Outside the Lines” segment on ESPN, has signed a multi-fight deal with Bellator Fighting Championships.

Bellator officials recently alerted MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) to the signing, though details of the deal were not disclosed.

A debut date and opponent have not been set for Martinez, but he’ll likely fight at an event during the organization’s fifth season, which kicks off Sept. 10 on MTV2.

Martinez, a former Division I All-American wrestler who’s posted a 9-2 pro MMA record, was chosen for ESPN’s newsmagazine show because of a commitment he made to his family. Currently, his MMA training is limited because he devotes a major portion of his day to his father, who suffered severe brain damage in a car accident. Martinez took on the responsibility as his primary caretaker as part of a promise he made to his dying grandmother. (Watch the full segment.)

Martinez, who took up MMA at the urging and fellow Clarion University wrestler and current UFC champ Frankie Edgar, admits his training isn’t easy.

“When I first decided I wanted to pursue a career in MMA, there were several different gyms in my area that only offered night classes, and that wasn’t going to work with my obligations to my dad,” stated Martinez, who’s previously competed as a lightweight. “I started thinking that MMA wasn’t going to be something I was going to be able to pursue, but the team I’m with now ended up putting a class together in the afternoon just for me. Now that’s the busiest class we have, but they really bent over backward to help me out down there. If they hadn’t done that, I probably wouldn’t be competing today.

“Three days a week I have to drive about 40 minutes to practice, but during that time, my grandfather is here to watch my dad, and we also have an aid that helps with his physical therapy on those days. Another two days of the week I’m able to run down to the gym when we lay my dad down for his nap time during the afternoon, and I’m able to get an hour of sparring or grappling in before I come back home to do physical therapy with my dad. Then at night, we usually lay my dad down at about 10 o’clock, so I’m able to shoot down to the gym and get some weights and cardio in then.”

Despite the recent signing, Martinez had been on Bellator’s radar for the past year, according to officials. Martinez’s manager, brother Levi Martinez, had been in talks with Bellator matchmaker Sam Caplan about a possible deal. With the “Outside the Lines” report and the outpouring of support for Martinez, Bellator officials decided to pull the trigger.

Martinez, who turned pro in 2008, posted an eight-fight win streak before a recent submission loss to former UFC fighter Brian Cobb in May. Four of his nine career wins, including a November victory over two-time UFC fighter Joe Brammer, have come via knockout.

Bellator officials are expected to formally announce the signing today.

For more on Bellator’s upcoming shows, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.